Things to remember (revised)
I needed to be kicked in the pants. While discussing my discouragement with life and war and evil and the effect these things have on my faith, I was given a bit of a wake-up call by a dear relation of mine.
I have been trying to reconcile my faith with a humanistic view of the world. I don't know if that makes sense. What I mean is, that in the university setting, I have been convinced that my peers do not value religion or faith-based judgements or arguements, so I have attempted to create arguements without reference to faith or God. This has not proved to be very successful for me. Since I know that my peers do not value faith, I have moved from a strictly faith-based thought pattern for understanding the world, to a more humanistic understanding. This is partly a reaction to the thinking patterns in the church that value only spiritual arguements in life (which I find frustrating and overly simplified). But I think I swung too far in the opposite direction, that which I designate as seeing the world from a humanistic perspective. I don't know if I'm making the smallest amount of sense... sorry.
In any case, I have accidentally begun to try to explain life and pain and war and problems separtately from God. It's far easier to explain bad things away by saying "God is in control" or "We live in a fallen world", but since people don't value that (and these answers don't seem to cut it) I have tried to use other methods to come to the same conclusions. I guess I have essentially been trying to legitimize my faith using purely secular humanist standards. I don't think it works so well.
I have benefitted from this humanistic perspecive. I think the church fails here. Focusing on the spiritual at the expense of the person, the human, the body... I have come to favor a much more compassionate faith... perhaps because I feel it is more legitimate. Perhaps because I feel that it's more respectable to my peers. Which is unfortunate. I should not change my faith because of these things. But perhaps I have.
In any case, this is who I have become at present. At least now I know that I cannot reconcile these things with my faith from a purely secular point of view or separately from God. And this, I have realised, is a good thing. I was getting so depressed because I didn't feel that I could hold up my faith to my friends against war and pain and evil and suffering. And I couldn't. Because I was trying to legitimize my faith without making reference to God. It doesn't work so good, and for that I am grateful. If the world could explain pain and suffering and evil separately from God, I would not need Him. They cannot make sense of it. I think God can.
Well, that was convoluted. If you didn't understand, it's very possible that I didn't actually say exactly what I was trying to. Sorry.
outs. M.
I have been trying to reconcile my faith with a humanistic view of the world. I don't know if that makes sense. What I mean is, that in the university setting, I have been convinced that my peers do not value religion or faith-based judgements or arguements, so I have attempted to create arguements without reference to faith or God. This has not proved to be very successful for me. Since I know that my peers do not value faith, I have moved from a strictly faith-based thought pattern for understanding the world, to a more humanistic understanding. This is partly a reaction to the thinking patterns in the church that value only spiritual arguements in life (which I find frustrating and overly simplified). But I think I swung too far in the opposite direction, that which I designate as seeing the world from a humanistic perspective. I don't know if I'm making the smallest amount of sense... sorry.
In any case, I have accidentally begun to try to explain life and pain and war and problems separtately from God. It's far easier to explain bad things away by saying "God is in control" or "We live in a fallen world", but since people don't value that (and these answers don't seem to cut it) I have tried to use other methods to come to the same conclusions. I guess I have essentially been trying to legitimize my faith using purely secular humanist standards. I don't think it works so well.
I have benefitted from this humanistic perspecive. I think the church fails here. Focusing on the spiritual at the expense of the person, the human, the body... I have come to favor a much more compassionate faith... perhaps because I feel it is more legitimate. Perhaps because I feel that it's more respectable to my peers. Which is unfortunate. I should not change my faith because of these things. But perhaps I have.
In any case, this is who I have become at present. At least now I know that I cannot reconcile these things with my faith from a purely secular point of view or separately from God. And this, I have realised, is a good thing. I was getting so depressed because I didn't feel that I could hold up my faith to my friends against war and pain and evil and suffering. And I couldn't. Because I was trying to legitimize my faith without making reference to God. It doesn't work so good, and for that I am grateful. If the world could explain pain and suffering and evil separately from God, I would not need Him. They cannot make sense of it. I think God can.
Well, that was convoluted. If you didn't understand, it's very possible that I didn't actually say exactly what I was trying to. Sorry.
outs. M.
Labels: faith reconcile pain humanism
1:39 p.m.
How interesting. I had almost the opposite reaction to secular university thought: I found it freeing. I love the ability to think critically about an issue and accept it or reject according to whether it made sense to me, rather than whether it lined up with (or could be made to line up with) something in the Bible. Granted, at some points my opinions are at odds with widely accepted doctrines, but in my experience people don't hold this agaist you if you can present a reasonable arguement. I love the ability to change or drop beliefs when necessary, and I love not worrying about what "we" believe.
Experience varies, of course, but I suspect that your peers will not scorn your faith-based worldview, so long as your beliefs are not irrational or overly dogmatic. Of course, they probably won't be convinced, but I doubt they have either the desire or the grounds to make you feel inferior.
I'd be interested to hear how you and God can explain pain and suffering and evil. Even if I'm unlikely to find your position persuasive. top